Page 6 of From the Embers

She works her way down the bar, revealing tight stone-wash blue jeans and heels. Heels that make her short frame much taller. Her voluptuous figure is something new to me, and fuck, I like it. More than like it.

She’s halfway across the bar toward the other side, and I know there are other guys noticing her just as much as I am. Unease grows in my chest. When I can’t stand it any longer, I cup my hands around my mouth and call out over the music.

“Hey, Red Robin…”

She stops in her tracks, one heel kicking up as she pivots expertly and glares straight at me. The fire in her eyes ignites all of a sudden—her face a wash of astonishment and… confusion? Strutting back toward me, her brows furrow and her soft features suddenly turn more wary. Her bottom lip snags under her straight, white teeth. She leans on the bar and releases that lip, pressing them together as her eyes roam over my face.

I take the moment to give her a cheeky grin, liking the way she’s taking me in. It’s as if she’s seeing me for the first time.

“What did you just call me?” It comes out breathy and hitched. At least she can form words—I’m all out of luck as her eyes slide lower.

“Red Robin,” I repeat. It was something I’d always called her growing up because the American Robin was so familiar around our neighbourhood. That and its orange-red breast reminded me of her hair. The name just stuck, and soon, everyone started calling her that. “Don’t you remember, Adi?”

Her swallow has my eyes distracted for a second as they dip to her throat, then back to her face. Clouds wash over her features, a haze forming behind her eyes, tears threatening to leak and drop onto her pink cheeks. “Denver?” she murmurs on a breath, like she’s checking to make sure she isn’t making this whole thing up.

The grin etched on my face can’t be contained. After ten long years of not hearing it, I hadn’t realized I’d miss it. I’ve missed her.

To be clear, I’ve never had any inclination toward my best friend’s little sister, other than her being a family friend and someone I’d lay my life down for, and have.

“In the flesh,” I say, with a calm air in my voice that doesn’t quite match the way I feel on the inside. I’m euphoric. I have no real idea why these feelings are coming over me so strong and fast.

It takes her another moment to really register. “No way?” she says.

“Yes way.”

She studies me for a moment. “For a second I thought you looked familiar. I mean… Oh! You know what I mean, right?”

I laugh. “Yeah, I think so.”

But she goes one step further and pushes herself up onto a step from behind the bar and reaches her arms out for me, not caring about the customers waiting, or anyone else for that matter. When I lean over the bar and her arms fling around me, her soft apricot and blossom scent encapsulates me. It’s like we’re only two people in the bar.

“It’s so good to see you!” Her voice is muffled against the shoulder of my shirt as my arms wrap around her. “You must think I’m a total idiot.”

I laugh a deep rumble, neither of us willing to pull back first. “Nah,” I say as finally I feel her arms loosen. “But it has been a long time.”

“Too long.” When she nods, the tears in her eyes form like tiny pools at the rim, finally leaking over, spilling down her flawless face.

“Hey.” I reach my hand up to her cheeks, brushing her tears away with my thumbs. “It’s alright.”

Adelaide steps back but still holds onto me, her fingers clinging onto my biceps as I smile.

“Don’t cry,” I whisper. “I’m happy to see you, Adelaide.”

“I’m happy to see you too, D.”

Present day

Back at the bar

We’re all staring at her as Eric gulps in my peripheral and Brax chuckles into his beer.

I pique a brow at my buddy. “Yeah, Eric, who is the hottest girl in the place? Care to share?”

As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I regret them. Eric will fucking share.

I glance at Adi, like those sparkling sapphires have no effect on me whatsoever. But that’s total bullshit. What I failed to mention to Daryl, or anyone else for that matter, is his sister is HOT. And those capitals have earned their place. Adi grew to be a hottie… So yeah, there’s that elephant in the room. The last thing I probably need to be doing is crushing on the woman I helped pull through the window of a burning building when she was four years old. Daryl’s sister. But I had no idea she was going to turn into the woman she is now, for fuck’s sake.

She was always a pretty girl growing up, but I was much older than her so the thought never occurred to me until that very moment three weeks ago when I first saw her again.